The announcement of Ray Lewis as a speaker over Commencement weekend, is already giving North Carolina Central University a graduation headline that reaches far beyond Durham. The Pro Football Hall of Famer has been announced as one of the featured speakers for NCCU’s 147th Commencement Exercises, with Lewis set to appear on Saturday, May 9, during the 2 p.m. baccalaureate ceremony for the College of Health and Sciences, the School of Business, and the School of Education inside McDougald-McLendon Arena. For an HBCU like NCCU, bringing in a sports icon with that kind of national name recognition instantly raises the visibility of commencement weekend, but the bigger story is what his presence signals about the kind of moment the university wants to create for its graduates.
